[VIDEO] The Freak Will get an Edit, The Curious Ulysse Nardin Freak X Reviewed

Even with the welcome ergonomic adjustments and simplified motion, the Freak X reads as a Freak due to the design of the minute and hour arms. They’re massive buildings that take a little bit of getting used to, however I discovered them to be simply as usable as a standard handset with little fuss. The white tip of the minute hand is straightforward to identify from any distance due to its sheer measurement, and regardless of the huge hour hand generally getting misplaced within the shuffle, I discovered it comparatively straightforward to get a learn on the place I used to be inside any given hour merely from the minute hand alone. Surprisingly, the steadiness by no means actually interfered with studying the time, largely due to how Ulysse Nardin has created distinction in the precise areas between the hand buildings and the bottom dial elements. 

What makes the Freak X so compelling is the way wherein it finds steadiness between one thing actually progressive and unique, and being on a regular basis usable. One may argue that it’s misplaced an excessive amount of of the outlandish Freak character within the course of, and I’d say that argument has some advantage, however it’s additionally achieved one thing no different Freak has managed, and that’s simplicity. This can be a sensible watch, which may’t be mentioned for a lot of different watches that play on this house of closely altered and downright novel mechanisms for displaying the time. Certain, it doesn’t have the complete practice on show, nor the trick fixed drive escapement, however the Freak X remains to be immediately recognizable as a Freak, and as soon as once more, has made itself out there to a brand new subset of fans within the course of. 

The Freak X is priced at $26,400, which is sort of some huge cash. I’d make the argument that it’s really numerous look ahead to the cash, a way more fascinating prospect than most watches discovered within the worth phase. For context, the Freak Imaginative and prescient upon which this watch is predicated is priced at $95,000. At $26,400, the Freak enters new territory, and whereas Ulysse Nardin the model could not get pleasure from the identical cache as different luxurious manufacturers in the intervening time, they deserve each bit the respect demanded by their contemporaries. Once I consider actually progressive watches within the worth vary, there’s actually just one different instance that involves thoughts, and that’s Ressence. 

The Freak as an idea, and as realized by Ulysse Nardin has served as a benchmark of horological innovation, from the supplies at use, to the design of the motion itself, this can be a watch that in no small half paved the way in which for the strong panorama of progressive and unique watches we get pleasure from immediately. The Freak X carries the identical DNA as the primary reference launched over 20 years in the past, and what it’s misplaced in complexity, it’s gained in practicality and worth, distilling the essence of the unique thesis into one thing in the end extra usable, which could make it crucial Freak of all. The Freak X has bridged the hole between generations, and presents a platform ripe for evolution.

Total, and except for the appreciable heritage it represents, the Freak X is a enjoyable and fascinating watch that skirts conference in all the precise methods, with out compromising core performance. It’s expensive, and it’s not excellent, however that is precisely the type of watch we’d like extra of, and if it wasn’t already, exhibits precisely why Ulysse Nardin ought to be on each fanatic’s radar.